Two weeks after urging the Guyana Elections Com-mission (GECOM) to begin preparation for General and Regional Elections, (GRE) President David Granger has requested that the Com-mission present him with a work programme in the shortest possible time.
According to a statement yesterday from the Ministry of the Presidency, the President has written to GECOM chairman, retired Justice James Patterson noting that he be informed about the Commission’s readiness to deliver credible elections in Guyana.
“I urge you to present your plans, programmes and financial needs which will guide my proclamation of a suitable date for elections,” the Head of State is quoted as saying in his correspondence to Justice Patterson.
The request also comes eight days before the 90-day deadline set by the No confidence vote of December 21. Any extension of the life of the government would require a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.
Since the passage of the no-confidence motion against the Government, President Granger has twice consulted with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo but there have been no decisions made. A meeting with the Chairman and Commissioners of GECOM last Friday was similarly unproductive.
The Head of State has repeatedly claimed that any election date is dependent on the readiness of the commission.
“It is for the Commission to advise me that it is ready and I will then proclaim a date. Naturally, I will like to proclaim a date that is sanctioned by the National Assembly and the Constitution, but we have not intruded in the work of the Commission and we are prepared to support the Commission in what it has been doing. It is not for me to overrule the Commission,” he told the nation following his meeting with GECOM.
He maintained that “the Commission is independent. It is not for anybody to give the Commission instructions as to when elections are to be held. Once the Commission says it is ready, I will announce a date and I hope that date is as early as possible.”
Yesterday’s statement from the Ministry quoted several provisions of the Constitution including Article 62 which states that “Elections shall be independently supervised by the Election [s] Commission in accordance with the provisions of Article 162.”
It also noted that Article 161 A (1) says “the Elections Commission shall be responsible for the efficient functioning of the Secretariat of the Com-mission” that Article 161 (B) specifies that “the role of political parties and their nominees shall be limited to their participation in determining policy, monitoring the electoral process and the conduct of the election, but does not include active management of the electoral process”.
Also quoted is Article 162 (1) of the Constitution which speaks to the Commission having functions connected with or relating to the registration of electors or the conduct of elections as are conferred upon it by or under the Constitution, or subject to any Act of Parliament, and to the provisions of the Constitution.
The Commission shall therefore exercise general direction and supervision over the registration of electors and the administrative conduct of all elections of members of the National Assembly.
Critics have said that Granger’s unilateral selection of the Chairman has given the government control of GECOM. Both the government and GECOM have been accused by the opposition PPP of deliberately delaying general elections.
Since the passage of the no-confidence motion a standoff between the two factions of the commission has led to few decisions being made.
Government-nominated commissioners have consistently advocated that house-to-house registration is needed to sanitise this list before elections while opposition-nominated commissioners have demanded that an election date be named within the life of the current list which expires on April 30.
